You Can't Go Home Again
by MizzMarvel
Summary: Rogue decides to take a trip back to Mississippi...but who will meet her when she gets there? Some minor Rietro. I've added chapter 4...COMPLETED! Please R&R.
1. Work

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Marvel, not me.   
  
  
You Can't Go Home Again  
  
  
  
***  
  
"Ah wanna go home, Professor. Just for a visit, tha's all. Ah'll pay for the train ticket an' ev'rything, an'..."  
"Rogue, we've been over this before. I don't think it's in your best interest to return right now, not when you're progressing so well. Perhaps at a later time, when school is out for the summer and things are less hectic." He leaned forward for emphasis. "Do you understand?"  
Rogue, sitting in one of the huge leather chairs in his study, looked down at her gloved hands and bit her lip.  
  
Flashback...  
  
There was really no reason why she asked him for the five dollars; she just wanted to see if he'd give it to her. That's what ten-year-olds do, after all - experiment. And miraculously, it worked. Well, sort of. He led her out to the driveway, left for a moment, and returned with a stepladder. Even though he was thirteen, he wasn't tall enough to do what he wanted to. Climbing up it, he tied the bill to the imitation-nylon net of the basketball hoop.  
"If ya want it, it's yours," he said as he stepped down from the top of the ladder. "But ya gotta work for it first." With that, he disappeared into the house, the ladder with him.  
Fifteen minutes of futile jumping and grabbing taught her that this was not the best tactic. She also discovered that, even without her shoes on, the garage door was too smooth to climb. Finally, when she was at her wit's end, she found a broom and spent half an hour beating the hoop until the whole thing clattered to the cement ground. She would have to reattach it all later and was completely soaked with sweat, with aching shoulders. Despite (or maybe because) of all this, Rogue found later that this was the best five dollars she ever spent.  
  
"Rogue? Rogue, do you understand?"  
She snapped out of reminiscence and looked up at the Professor. "Yeah, Professor, ah understand."  
She'd just have to work for what she wanted.  
  
***  
  
The clock read 4:25 AM when Rogue slipped of bed. As quietly as possible, she dressed, eschewing her normal Goth clothes in favor of a less noticeable black sweater and jeans, with her usual gloves and boots. She grabbed a fistful of money from the top of her dresser and shoved it down her front pocket. Finally, Rogue turned and opened the door, which creaked loudly as it moved. She whirled around, terrified Kitty would awake. Luckily, she found her roommate undisturbed and proceeded on her way, uneventfully leaving the mansion.  
  
***  
  
It didn't take long to walk to the train station, which was empty save for a few others. Rogue worried as she stood in line that the ticket clerk would question why such a young girl was there so early. Her fears turned out to be unfounded, though, and the clerk passed her the ticket without even batting an eye. Clutching it, she wandered over to a bench and sat down.  
"So you're really going," said a voice from behind.  
Rogue jumped up and spun around. There before her stood a familiar figure.  
"I wasn't sure you would," Pietro said. He placed his hands on his hips. "I'm not surprised, though."  
"How'd ya know ah'd be leavin'?"  
"I heard Kitty tell Lance that you'd been bugging the Professor to go home. I figured you'd do it, one way or the other."  
"But how'd ya know ah was leavin' tonight?"  
"I...I'm not sure. I just know you, I guess." Pietro looked away for a moment, then stared straight into her eyes. "It is just a visit, right? You're coming back?" His eyes were wet.  
Her face softened and she relaxed. "Yeah, Pietro. Ah'm comin' back."  
He sighed. "Good. But, well, be careful, okay? Don't get yourself hurt."  
"Okay."  
"Well...later." In a flash he was gone, but before Rogue could even turn away again he was back. "Wait, I forgot something." Pietro leaned forward and kissed her on the top of her head, through her hair. Then he disappeared again, leaving only a flutter of papers and Rogue touching the place that still tingled from his lips. 


	2. Change

Disclaimer - All characters are Marvel's.  
  
  
  
  
***  
  
The sun never came out. Clouds, thick and stubborn, had blown in during the night, leaving the morning sky white and ambiguous. Rogue checked her watch. 1:04 PM. The afternoon classes at Bayville High were just beginning.   
"Ah wonder what they think 'bout me not bein' there," she murmured. With a heavy sigh she leaned her forehead against the window, glad for the fact that the Professor had not chosen to contact her telepathically.  
The train had filled up as the hours passed. When Rogue first boarded at 5:00 AM, there were only four other passengers. Now the train was more than half full, brimming with conversation and mild activity. To her chagrin, Rogue even had a seat mate, a skinny young man, maybe eighteen-years-old, who kept trying to flirt.  
The young man turned to her and grinned. "Ah'm on mah way back to Nawrlins [author's translation - New Orleans]. Just spent two wayks [weeks] in New Yahk City. Where ya off to?"   
Rogue glanced at him briefly. "Uh...Ah'm goin' to New Orleans, too."  
"Seriously? What are th' odds?" He brushed the auburn hair out of his eyes. "So, what'd ya say yar name was?" He scratched his chin.  
She stared at him.  
  
Flashback...  
  
Whenever he was with people he used to know, he covered his chin with his hand as nonchalantly as possible. It was only when they were alone, and sometimes with Irene, that he brought his hand down. So Rogue knew what he was hiding; she saw the scar.  
They sat together on the front porch swing, the heat intense despite the dark. During the months he was gone, he'd grown taller, sturdier. The gap in size between them was wider; she was still just a skinny little girl, twelve-years-old, and he was fifteen, almost a man. Emotionally, though, the closeness remained, and the silence between them was comfortable.   
He was the one who broke the quiet. "Ah go back in a couple days."  
Rogue turned to him, horrified. "No, not already! Ya just got back home!"  
He shrugged. "Back up north ah go, ah guess. Back to mah father." He rubbed the scar on his chin absently, his eyes darkening. "Ah hate him, Mar."  
"He ain't a good person, is he?"  
"Damn straight he ain't. You're lucky yer not related to him." The reticence returned for a moment before he continued. "You ever heard of mutants, Mara?"  
She blinked. "Ya mean, those people with two heads an' stuff?"  
He laughed softly. "Kinda."  
"But they don't really exist."  
His eyes widened substantially. "But they do, Mar, ah swear!" He paused. "Mah father's a mutant. So's our mother."  
"Mother's a...mutant?" She couldn't explain the confusion she felt.  
"Sure. Ah mean, you don't know her as well as I do. She looks...different. She always looks different, one way or the other. An' my...well, he's big. Strong. Scary. Ah think ah was sent to him 'cause ah'm not one, like they can bully powers out of me or something." He gripped the arm of the porch swing. "Mutants don't necessarily have two heads, but they're different, not normal. Not like you an' me."  
"Ah didn't know," Rogue whispered, looking down at her hands.  
"There's a lot you don't know, Mara. Hell, did you even know 'bout our brother?"  
"What?!" Her head jerked up.  
"Our brother. Ah remember...ah was three. One morning ah woke up and Irene told me Mother'd had her babies, an' that it wouldn't be long till they came to live with us. She was in Europe or somewhere then an' couldn't be bothered to take care of her kids. But a couple months later, it was only you who came home. I don't even think he was ever mentioned again. Maybe he died...ah don't know."  
"Did...did he have a name?"  
He squinted, thinking. "Michael," he said finally. "Mara and Michael. You were born first."  
Suddenly she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. "Ah'm gonna talk to Irene for ya. Maybe she'll talk to Mother and let ya stay here."  
"Ah still hate her, little sister. Takin' me back won't make up for what she made me go through."  
"Better to hate her here, where it's safe." She grinned wryly. "After all, we can't let some dumb mutants screw ya up, right?"  
"You're right about that, little sister." He laughed again and ruffled her hair. "You're such a Rogue."  
  
"Gurl? Hey gurl! Ah sayd, what's yar name?" The young man looked at her strangely.   
She sat straight up. "Oh! Uh, ah'm, um..."  
Slowly, the train glided to a halt. Rogue glanced out the window and read the name on the station wall - Richmond, VA.   
"Jeez! This is where ah change trains!" She got up and started to move towards the exit.  
"Change trains? But ah thought ya sayd ya was goin' ta Nawrlins!"   
"Ah lied. Sorry 'bout that. Bye."  
"Oh. Well," he called as she ducked out the door. "If yer ever really in Nawrlins, make sure ta look me up - Remy LeBeau!"   
  
***  
  
Author's Note - I know Marie is Rogue's usual 'real' name, but I HATE it. I mean, it's okay, but I've been thinking up better names for her since I was ten. In my opinion, Mara fits her personality better, is prettier, and is more unusual. The name Michael comes from an issue of "What If...?" where that really WAS his name. (It shouldn't take you too long to figure out who the twin is!) As for Remy's cameo...it wasn't planned, but it was fun. He won't be back though. I'm way too big on Rogue/Pietro and Rogue/Warren for that! 


	3. Gone

Disclaimer: Once again, they're not mine. They're Marvel's.  
  
  
***  
  
The closer Rogue got home, the slower time seemed to pass. This train was much older and less occupied than the first, so there was not a lot to concentrate on. For a while she flipped through a battered issue of Cosmo that she found in the restroom, but couldn't find the point in calculating what kind of lover she was or learning about the miracle of tai chi. Besides, all the models looked like Jean. The magazine was discarded on the empty seat next to her.  
Outside, the clouds had broken, but it was dark now anyway. When her watch read 5:47 PM, the buildings of Caldecott County, MS were beginning to loom into view. They were nothing too spectacular, definitely incomparable to New York City or even to Bayville, but they were nothing to sneeze at. More importantly, it was home. Rogue was home.  
The train gradually slowed, then stopped. She stood and slowly made her way out the exit, stepping down onto the station platform. Looking around anxiously, she found that there was no one present who might recognize her. Satisfied with her safety, she made her way through the humble depot. Suddenly, a sense of déjà vu washed over her.  
  
Flashback...  
  
Irene said her goodbyes at the house, letting the two walk to the train station and wait by themselves. It was brilliantly hot that day, still summer, and the high-noon sun beat down unsympathetically on the siblings as they sat on the platform's bench, waiting.  
Rogue was fifteen and just starting to get pretty, while her brother, at eighteen, had matured into a very handsome young man. The scar was still prominent on his chin, but a growing confidence had hindered his quest to hide it, though he still had a tendency to rub it when he was nervous. He did so now.  
"This'll be your first time up north since...since your father," Rogue said quietly.  
"Ah know, Mara, but ah gotta go. All the best colleges are up north. Ah'll be fine."  
"Ah guess if anyone'd make it through alright, it'd be you. You're so smart! Ah mean, you're goin' to Princeton! Who the hell goes from Caldecott County to Princeton?"  
He smiled proudly. "Yeah, ah guess that's pretty good, huh?"   
"It's great." She reached over and squeezed his hand. "Ah'm proud of ya, big brother."   
He squeezed back. "Just three years till you go up for college, too."  
"Ah ain't smart enough for Princeton."  
"Sure ya is," he said teasingly. "Really, ya just gotta work for it. You're smart, Mar, ah promise. You can even major in political science, like me."  
"Ah know for sure ah don't have a mind for politics."  
"Well, major in literature, then. You're well-read an' all...you can be my speechwriter." He leaned back and stretched. "Ah just wanna do good for the world; ah wanna make things right."  
"If that's what ya think, you'll make an excellent politician."  
"Thanks. There's a lotta evil in the world, Mara."  
"Ah know. You've told me."  
His train pulled up and wheezed to a stop.  
"That's for me!" They both jumped up.  
"Ah'll miss ya," she whispered.  
"Mara..." He hugged her hard. "Ah'll miss you, too. Make sure to take good care of yourself, little sister." He grabbed his two bags and bounded for the train. As he stepped on it, he turned and called back. "And don't be so damn monastic! Go out and have some fun!" With that, he disappeared through the door.  
A couple of nights later, she followed his advice - she went to a party and danced with a boy named Cody...  
  
Rogue shook her head to clear her thoughts, then left the station.  
  
***  
  
The walk home wasn't particularly long or difficult, but halfway through it she got nervous. She couldn't understand exactly why; perhaps it had to do with the fact that she'd had no contact with Irene since she gone to Bayville, or that she was coming unannounced. She wasn't sure at all.  
Finally, she saw it, the house. It looked precisely as it always did, light blue with white trimming, one-story. Never had it looked so beautiful. And in the living room, a light was on. Rogue ran down the walk and burst inside, the door unlocked.  
"Irene! Irene, it's me! Ah'm home!"  
"Irene's not here," said a voice from the hallway.  
Rogue stopped in her tracks.  
"Oh."  
  
***  
  
Author's Note - Woohoohoo! A cliffhanger! Well, I guess by now there isn't much of a surprise left. Just one chapter left...Thanks for all the good reviews I've gotten so far!! 


	4. Home

Disclaimer: The characters belong to Marvel. Not this Marvel...the other one.  
  
  
***  
  
He stepped out of the hall, broken shadows playing on his face. Then the light of the living room illuminated him fully; at first glance he looked the same as had a few months ago. He stood straighter, though, shoulders back, and his demeanor as a whole was more serious and severe. As he looked down on Rogue speechlessly, she noticed for the first time how similar they looked, with the same green eyes, thin frame, and cleft chin. It was mostly his scar that distanced their physical resemblance.   
"Hello Mara," he said finally.  
"Hi Graydon," she murmured.  
"I can honestly say I didn't expect to see you here." His voice was hard and cold, having lost all trace of its southern accent - politics weren't the only things he'd been learning at Princeton.  
"Where...where's Irene?"  
"You tell me. Not long after I arrived at school I called home, but the phone just rang and rang. I kept trying, but finally it got disconnected. Eventually I found out that you were both gone." He grinned, though there was no amusement in his eyes. "I guess after you left, Mother found no reason why Irene should stay here. I only came back to put this place up for sale."  
"Ah shoulda told ya ah was gone."  
He laughed humorlessly. "Oh, yeah. You could've told me the whole damn story. How you ran away after you nearly killed some poor kid. Oh, yeah, Mara, that would've been great. A real load off my mind!" He closed his eyes, shook his head, and laughed again. "My own sister, a mutant!"  
"How'd you know?"   
"I have connections now; I can find out anything I need." Graydon walked over and stood right in front of her. "How could you be this way?? Why?"  
"Ah didn't choose to be like this!" she cried.  
He spit the words out as if they were bitter. "My own sister...everything I've ever done has been to make life better for you. And this is the way things turn out! My sister - a damn mutant, just like Mother! Just like him!" Graydon stopped and placed his hand on his chest, the fury in his eyes turning to sadness. "You've broken my heart, Mara," he declared softly. "Things can never be the same between us."  
"It doesn't have to be this way!" she shouted.  
"But it does. It really, really does." He sighed shakily. "Now tell me you love me."  
"Ah love you, Graydon," Rogue whispered.  
His face was distorted with pain. "I love you too, Mara. And now you're dead to me."  
He turned on his heels and left the room.  
  
***  
  
The next day Pietro was waiting for her at the Bayville train station.   
"That was fast," he remarked. "And I know fast."  
"Well, the old place wasn't like it used to be." Rogue smiled weakly. "Ya know what they say - ya can't go home again." She looked at him, scrutinizing. "Ya knew when ah'd be here again."  
He shrugged. "Call it a gift."  
"Maybe you're telepathic, too," she offered teasingly.  
"Sure!" He laughed. "And you're Jean Grey's best friend! But seriously...something happened, didn't it?"  
"Yeah." Suddenly, for the first time, Rogue began to cry. "Yeah, something happened."  
"Rogue..." Awkwardly, Pietro put his arms around her. "I'm sorry."  
"It's not your fault! Ya told me not to get hurt," she sobbed.  
"You wanna tell me about it?"  
She shook her head and stepped away from him. "Not right now...ah'm not ready. Maybe some other time."  
"Okay, it's a date."  
She wiped her eyes. "Did anyone even notice ah was gone?"  
"Yeah, your X-geek friends. Summers even asked Lance if we knew where you were. Like we'd kidnap you or something! I was just surprised they didn't figure out that you'd gone off on your own."  
"Ah guess ah'd better get home...the mansion, ah mean."  
"You know, you still have another home. With us."  
"Really?" Rogue smiled softly, genuinely. "Never would've thought you guys'd have me back."  
"We would in a minute! Well, Tabitha'd have a problem with it, but who the hell cares what she thinks?"  
"Thanks, Pietro." She hugged him. "Ah'm goin' now."  
And walking through the exit, she started off, in the direction of home.  
  
THE END  
  
  
Author's Note: Thus ends my first fic. Just in case you don't know, Graydon Creed is the human son of Mystique and Sabertooth and later becomes the leader of an militant anti-mutant organization called the Friends of Humanity, doing a whole lot of bad stuff to mutants. So what'd ya think?? Should I continue writing these things?? 


End file.
